


I'll Be There For You (Always)

by shutupheather



Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: First Kiss, Fluff, Hospitals, Hurt Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV), Love Confessions, M/M, Sickfic, Worried Evan "Buck" Buckley
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-13
Updated: 2020-11-13
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:07:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,800
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27545068
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shutupheather/pseuds/shutupheather
Summary: "'...Buck,' Eddie breathed out, his voice barely above a whisper. 'Catch me.'And with that weak plea and his eyes rolling back, Eddie crumpled. The man deflated in front of Buck’s very eyes."OREddie collapses in front of Buck at the station.
Relationships: Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 292





	I'll Be There For You (Always)

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Thanks for reading! Kudos/Comments are always appreciated ❤️
> 
> Based on this prompt given to me by @mcdannoxo1 on tumblr:
> 
> "Buck and Eddie are at work. Eddie doesn’t look good he looks really sick, but he doesn’t listen to go home. Eddie walks over to talk to Buck and collapses on him and Buck catches him and puts him slowly on the ground. Buck is really worried and they are at the hospital later where they confess feelings and first kiss."

~Buck POV~

Eddie looked tired. He looked pale, with dark circles painted under his eyes. He looked like death warmed over. His feet practically dragging over every step up to the kitchen area. 

“Woah… what happened to you man?” Chimney questioned, eyebrows raised.

Eddie just shot a low-energy glare towards the other man. “Food poisoning. I do  _ not  _ recommend the new sushi place downtown,” he mumbled. 

He managed to find his way to the couch where the rest of the crew was lounging before the shift officially started. He sat right next to Buck. Without realization, he rested his head on Buck’s shoulder and fluttered his eyes closed. 

“You okay?” Buck whispered.

He lifted his head a little. “I got maybe one hour of sleep last night... but I’ve stopped vomiting so that’s a plus I guess,” he said before lowering his head back down. 

“You sure you don’t want to just take a sick day? Maybe get some rest?”

“No, no. I’m fine. I’ll just take a quick power nap and I’ll be good as new.”

“Breakfast is ready!” Bobby’s voice echoed through the loft.

“Can I get you anything? Maybe a piece of toast will be good for you?” Buck asked placatingly.

“No. I don’t even want to think about food right now,” Eddie mumbled before adjusting himself to where he was fully laying down on the couch. 

As Buck got up to join the rest of the team, he couldn’t help but feel worry creep up his spine. He didn’t like seeing his best friend feeling sick. Eddie might not know it, but Buck loved him with every ounce of his heart. That same heart did cartwheels when Eddie was happy, and, like right now, ached when he was sick. Buck cast one more cautious glance his way before leaving him to rest. 

-

The sun was beginning to set when they pulled into the station after their last call. A small car accident on a neighboring street. Nothing out of the ordinary. 

It wasn’t until the team was getting off the rig that the real problems started. 

Buck began walking towards the locker room with Hen and Chim. He halted for a moment when he realized that his other half wasn’t glued to his side. As he turned he was met with an unfamiliar sight. Eddie, a man usually lit with an eternal flame of strength and fervor, had his hands on his knees, his body folding almost in half like a piece of paper. His energy and light gone, replaced with a heaviness Buck couldn’t quite place. 

“You good?” Buck said as he cautiously approached his best friend.

Eddie’s eyes flickered up to meet his. Buck noted how dim and glassy they looked. Not to mention the thin film of sweat coating the man’s forehead. The fire within him long extinguished.

“...Buck,” Eddie breathed out, his voice barely above a whisper. “ _ Catch me _ .”

And with that weak plea and his eyes rolling back, Eddie crumpled. The man deflated in front of Buck’s very eyes. Buck’s first responder skills kicked in almost instantly, as if he was switched into auto-pilot mode. His arms were around his best friend in an instant. He noted how clammy his skin felt as he slowly lowered him to the ground. 

His gaze scanned the face of the man laying on the cement floor of the station for a brief second. Discomfort painted his features. There was something obviously wrong. It was nothing too serious, as Buck could feel a pulse pang against the fingers he laid against Eddie’s neck. However, he was still unconscious and that struck panic within Buck down to his core.

“Need some help over here! Now!” Buck shouted to no one in particular. 

Luckily, Hen and Chim hadn’t quite made it to the locker room before the incident occurred. They were kneeling beside Buck within seconds of Eddie’s collapse. Buck quickly got out of their way, as they knew leaps and bounds more about the medical field than him. 

As he stood back, Eddie still in view, it hit him. The idea of how if anything happened to Eddie, Buck would forever be lost. He loved this man so much it hurt. It most definitely hurt to see him like this, laying on the cold floor, hooked up to a monitor, with his legs raised to increase his blood flow. Buck’s heart broke more and more with every second Eddie remained unresponsive.

“Buck?” the man in front of them croaked out, his eyes barely opening. 

Buck made his way back to his original spot in record time. Before he could overthink his actions, he intertwined their hands. His spare hand reaching to brush the man’s hair off of his alarmingly warm face. 

“Hey hey,” he shushed him. “I’m right here.” 

“It looks like he’s severely dehydrated. We should get him to the hospital to get him properly checked out,” Hen said, Chim going to get the gurney from the nearby ambulance. 

“I’ll come see you after shift okay? And don’t worry about Chris, I’ll take care of it. Just focus on getting better… okay?” Buck told him.

“Okay,” he replied weakly. 

And with that he was wheeled off. 

-

Buck was on edge for the rest of the day. 

Hen and Chim returned and notified the crew that Eddie was doing just fine and would most likely be discharged by the end of the day. While that was probably the best possible scenario, it did nothing to soothe Buck’s aching heart. He was so worked up over this man who he loved. This man who he loved, that might not even love him back in the same way. 

His shift just ended and there was no time to dwell on these thoughts though. He had already called Carla and told her Eddie would probably be home late, explaining the situation. The only thing left to do was go and see the man in question. 

On his way there, Buck’s fingers dug into the steering wheel. He knew in his gut that Eddie was essentially fine, that he was just dehydrated and exhausted. But something about seeing, what Buck considered, the love of his life collapse in front of him, made Buck squirm in his seat. 

-

Eddie looked so small. The man who could, much to his dismay, out bench Buck on any day of the week, looked like he could be swallowed up by the sizable hospital bed. The dust that resulted from Buck’s heart shattering just hours ago, finally began to settle in his chest. As he neared the bed, he silently celebrated the color that returned to Eddie’s cheeks. The unsavory film of sweat that had lingered on his brow seemed to have disappeared, as well as his uncontrollable shiver.

Before he registered his movements, Buck found his hand intertwining itself with Eddie’s once again, the second time today. If he found himself rubbing absent-minded circles along his best friends knuckles, well, that would stay between him and the hospital room walls. 

He stood there, his gaze tracing the features of the man in laying in front of him, for several minutes. He was beginning to memorize the faint freckles along the bridge of his nose when something snapped him out of his trance. 

The hand being held within his ever-so-slightly tightened its grip. Buck’s freshly constructed heart nearly lept out of his chest at the sudden movement.

“Buck...how long are you gonna just stare at me,” Eddie mumbled, not bothering to open his eyes. 

“How-how’d you know it was me?” Buck replied, caught off guard by the accusation.

“I had a hunch,” Eddie said lowly. A faint smile played at the corners of his mouth.

Buck let out a wet laugh. A stray tear, that he didn’t even knew he let out, hit where their hands connected. 

“Sorry, I jus-”

“Hey, it’s okay.  _ I’m okay”  _ Eddie reassured, giving Buck’s hand another squeeze. His eyes opened and Buck could see the life coming back to them. 

Buck sat on the edge of the bed, to get a better look at Eddie who was now sitting up, leaning against his pillows. Their hands remained interlocked. Buck didn’t dare to move, worried to interrupt the moment they seemed to have created. They held each other’s gaze for what felt like hours, just appreciating the presence of the other man. 

“...Thank you,” Eddie whispered, breaking the fragile silence between them. “For coming to see me.”

“I’ll always be here for you Eddie.  _ Always _ . I…” Buck trailed off.  _ Was he really about to say those fateful words? _

Eddie stayed quiet, urging Buck to finish his thought. His eyes were soft on Buck, casting a feeling of safeness and warmth over his body.  _ Here goes nothing _ , Buck thought.

He took a sobering breath, “...I love you. And I was so worried when you fainted today. I kept thinking about the possibility of you not being okay, and me never telling you how I really feel. And if you don’t feel the same it’s fi-”

His rambles were cut short by Eddie’s other hand encapsulating their still tangled finger, “Buck… I love you too.”

The silence returned for a few seconds, but this time it was drowned out by the matching, deafening grins on the faces of both of the men. This was a happiness Buck has never felt before. He felt it spark from his head all the way to his toes. There was still one thing left to do. 

“... Can I…” Buck started, not really sure how to ask this.

As if he could read his mind, Eddie lifted a hand to Buck’s cheek, “Yes.”

They both leaned into each other. Their lips finally meeting after what felt like two years of hopeless pining. It was better than anything Buck ever fantasized about. It was a gentle kiss, nothing too heated. He could feel the love radiating off of each of them. They pulled away slightly, as the kiss was more of just two smiles pressing softly against each other. 

“You’re never getting rid of me now, Edmundo” Buck sighed contentedly, his forehead resting against the other firefighter’s.

“Wouldn’t dream of it, Evan,” Eddie said in a hushed tone. 

Later they would have to discuss this new venture more. How to tell everyone, the labels they want or didn’t want to use, and everything else that came with a fresh relationship. But that was  _ later _ . They had a bit of time before Eddie got discharged for the night, so  _ now _ was for just existing in each other’s worlds. Buck’s heart finally felt full, it no longer ached, no longer was a pile of rubble. It beat in tandem with the man he loved. 

They were going to be okay. 

**Author's Note:**

> Follow me on tumblr!
> 
> @118hasmyback


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